Lyons Elementary Parent Leaders Victorious Against Rezoning
TMO Lyons parents won an 8-1 school board vote against proposed boundary changes to their school. The changes would have sent students from one of the top ranked schools in the state to one ranked in the lowest 18% statewide. Parents signed up 600 petitioners opposed to the change to convinced board members this was a bad idea.
Rosa Rivera told board members, "We want you to listen to us. Don't move our children." Demonstrating that the voices of organized parents get heard, the board rejected the the proposed plan.
Split HISD Board Rejects Most Rezoning Plans, Houston Chronicle [pdf]
Houston Religious Denounce Efforts to Undermine Exec Action, Call for Comprehensive Reform
Days before a planned House effort which could impact the latest executive action program initiated by the President, Houston judicatory leaders and TMO held a joint press conference urging Congress to do the opposite - to expand on the action and pass comprehensive immigration reform. Bishops and religious leadership from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim faiths banded together to deliver the joint statement.
Dinardo Agradece la Accion Ejecutiva Pero Dice Que No Es Suficiente, La Voz de Houston
Talleres Informativos Sobre la Accion Deferida, Univision Houston 45
TMO Hounds Officials on Stray Dogs & Crime in East End
Three hundred TMO leaders piled into Immaculate Conception Catholic Church to Make known to officials that students of De Zavala Elementary deserve to be protected from the dangers posed by packs of stray dogs roaming the campus. They explained that the issue emerged in 'house meetings' in which people gathered to share their concerns.
Leaders told stories about family members getting bitten by dogs on the streets, as well as stories about neighborhood crime. TMO convened the assembly to engage City Councilmember Robert Gallegos and State Senator Sylvia Garcia on these issues.
Stray Dog Complaints on the Rise On East End, ABC 13 News
Residents in the East End Come Together, FOX 26 News
TMO Leverages $500K MORE from Local Sources for Capital IDEA-Houston
Less than four weeks after Capital IDEA-Houston was awarded a $500K Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) grant to train more community college students for living wage careers, leaders of The Metropolitan Organization of Houston leveraged an additional $500 thousand in local money after testifying at City Hall.
The money will come from two sources of funding: $250 thousand from Community Development Block Grants and another $250 thousand from a City of Houston budget line-item, marking the first time Capital IDEA-Houston has been included in the City budget.
City Budget Increases After-School Spending, Gives Each District $1 Million for Projects, Houston Chronicle
A Capital Idea, Houston Chronicle